Stranded
by Ambrel
Summary: I couldn’t see the Dark Ace anywhere. The place he’d fallen asleep in last night was bare. His sword was missing but his backpack was still there. I looked around frantically. Where was he?*Written in the style of The Wager*
1. It Begins

It Begins

"Dammit!"

He stormed.

He paced.

He kicked the stony dirt and sent a shower of loose earth and pebbles scattering across the scrubby, sloping landscape. He punched a nearby stone cairn, but immediately regretted it as his hand howled at him for his lack of self control.

It hurt.

A lot.

He inspected his throbbing fist critically before turning his aquiline nose away in a haughty sneer. Not broken, at least. Not worth his worry.

The dark haired man stomped off a good twenty paces and glared into the fading light. The sunshine was growing dim, and fast. He could feel the temperature dip with every encroaching moment.

"Dammit." He muttered again, though just as vehement as the first time. In fact, he was nearing the end of a stream of invectives and very imaginative epithets. He'd been at it for more than twenty minutes. Some of the more original ones would have made Cyclonis blush.

It was only when he found himself repeating himself that he started winding down to a close. After all, without anyone here to witness his fury, it didn't really do him much good to indulge himself. He was a coldly logical man, most times, but giving in to the occasional fit of anger was a good tool in his arsenal of keeping his underlings jumping and on their toes.

Besides, throwing a tantrum could be very stress relieving at times. And, well, this was most definitely one of those times. In fact, he couldn't remember any other time in recent memory that he had been this upset without having someone else to blame for it.

He turned and glared at the reason for his ire.

Rocks littered the landscape. In fact, the terra was one giant mountain, carved into puzzle pieces by ancient rivers and dotted here and there with tenacious bushes disguised as trees. However, the stony beauty of the place couldn't hide the one eyesore that was laid out over a good sized radius. In one particularly rocky outcropping was the most aggravating…and possibly the most depressing sight that he had ever had the chance to witness in the course of his life thus far…

His switchblade. Dashed upon the stones like an ill used toy. The formerly gleaming chrome and steel was twisted into an unrecognizable mess. The tires had shredded, leaving bits of gluey rubber all over the scenery. It reeked of oil and fuel. Hydraulic fluid formed a purple stain on the grey rock that comprised about seventy percent of the terra. Wings were a mangled wreck, and it was doubtless impossible for the ailerons to ever regain any semblance of a working order again. The engine was totaled. It wasn't even recognizable as anything that had ever had individual moving parts. The slag that was once part of the afterburners still flickered every now and then with a crystal fueled fire that refused to go out.

Hell, he couldn't even identify where the seat was anymore, let alone any control surfaces.

As if that wasn't bad enough, his radio had been thrown in the crash. He'd found it, of course. And normally, that would have thrilled him. At this point, all the Dark Ace wanted was to be able to contact the forces of Cyclonia and arrange for a discreet rescue. After all, it wouldn't do for word to get around the subordinates that he had been in any situation that necessitated a recon. The idea that he actually required a rescue galled him. And what was even more infuriating was the fact that even if he did manage to contact his allies, the person or persons most likely to perform the operation would be the damned archer and her stupid brother.

Being brought low by an enemy combatant was one thing. He could stomach that. After all, it wasn't as though anyone else had been able to take out Master Cyclonis' number one targets. Out of anyone, he'd been the closest to achieving that.

So… it was almost a relief when he had found the radio in about four different pieces, strewn about the place like some demented decoration.

The Talon sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, as he was wont to do in times of frustration. It helped him calm down for some reason.

If he were more of a philosophical sort, he might have reasoned that getting out of such a nasty crash with his life was a good thing. He'd been thrown clear of the wreck when he first hit, but he was pretty banged up. He'd been tossed like a rag doll, and only because of his self imposed training was he able to stand. As soon as he was about to impact, he had thrown himself clear of the skimmer and forced his entire body to go limp and slack. He'd taken some nasty bumps, a couple of which had given him a lump or two on his head, but he'd managed to endure.

He had been knocked out, but not for long. Several minutes, he surmised, but the skimmer was still smoldering when he opened his eyes.

There were rips in his armor and even the metal pieces were bent and dented. His prized headpiece had been lost somewhere in the scrub brush and he didn't even fool himself into thinking it could be retrieved. Not practical at all, really.

He'd lost some blood and no small amount of skin, but in the end, had walked away from a nasty looking crash more or less intact. Not many people would have survived, and even fewer would have nothing but scrapes to show for it.

He took stock of himself. He had a small bag with several days worth of rations attached to his belt. He had his energy blade, a sack of fuel crystals, and three flares. One or two fire crystals for making camp, a small ax that he had managed to salvage from the storage compartment on his skimmer, and a change of uniform that was torn, but still serviceable. Along with that was a fresh first aid kit, replete with bandages, salve, duct tape, and for some reason, industrial strength glue.

He raised an eyebrow at that.

To his satisfaction, he also found a few razors in the first aid kit. He hated the scratchy, itchy feeling of new beard growth.

"Damn the day I volunteer for a secret recon.." he muttered as he stowed his supplies on his person. "Never gonna do that again."

If Snipe had undertaken this mission, Dark Ace reasoned, he would have one less headache to worry about. The dumb bastard would probably not even last an hour on his own.

The Dark Ace was no stranger to roughing it. As a rule, he had made sure that he was able to operate at peak efficiency at all times, under any circumstance. He had made sure that in the event of his being stranded, he would be able to fend for himself until he either found a way out of the mess or he could be rescued. So really, he wasn't worried about himself. He could take anything the elements could throw at him, he could hunt for his own food, as barbaric as that was, and he knew that his adaptability was sure to see him through. Not to mention he was confident that eventually a scout detail would come near the terra during normal operation.

If so, then he could easily muscle his way back home without giving any sort of explanation as to why he was there in the area in the first place. Although his presence on an uninhabited, uncharted terra with no real strategic value would raise a few eyebrows, he enjoyed a level of command and privacy rivaled only by Master Cyclonis herself.

Secret mission. Secret orders. Even without that excuse, he'd slip by without an explanation to anyone but his master.

Too bad the fact that the recon he had been engaged in was discrete also meant that the chance of a scouting party coming near this particular terra was less than ideal. It wasn't technically Cyclonia territory, but it wasn't owned by Atmosia, either. It was one of the rare places that had no claim on it, mainly because it was lacking in strategic value and there were no resources to be gained from it…

At first glance, that is.

He'd come to the hurdle of explaining his presence later, though. It didn't pay to jump the gun, and he wasn't even missed back at Cyclonia yet. Right now, he knew he had to tend to the more immediate dangers.

Survival.

For one, now that the sun was gone, the temperature had dropped drastically. That made sense, though. This terra was dangerously close to being a desert. The fact that there were actually rivers crossing it was a blessing. That meant that somewhere beneath the rock, there was a source of water that kept the rivers hydrated throughout the day. As long as he had a source of water, his ability to survive for more than a few days leapt up a few percentage points. Unfortunately, now that it was chill and cold, that meant that he had to keep moving until he found a place to hole up for the night.

Secondly, he knew he'd have to judge whether or not the risk of moving by daylight was worth taking. It wasn't likely that anyone, Cyclonia or not, would be around here in the coming days, but those annoying sky knights had a nasty habit of following him around.

It was almost like they were stalking him…

With little more than a hate filled sneer at the mangled excuse for a skimmer, the Dark Ace turned on his heel and stalked off. In the still, quiet air of the desolate terra, his boot steps echoed like a pair of spark stones cracking against one another.

OOO

Oh yeah, I'm back. And this looks to be fun!

If anyone is interested, please go vote on my poll to decide where this one is going! Remember, I have a few more obligations in my life at the moment so updates wont be daily, like they were before. However, I am committed to updating at least once weekly, possibly more on the weekends if I can scrounge up the time. This whole thing came as an inspiration while I was heading to bed tonight and I knew I had to write it down! The poll I had up in my profile had pretty much demanded that I do another Wager-like fic, so here ya go.

Also, the next chapters will likely be done in first person, much like The Wager, because I am more comfortable writing in that style. And hopefully the next installments will be longer than a mere 1600 words.

Tell me what you think, and as always, I will take suggestions in the reviews to account for the next chapter!


	2. From Bad To Worse

From Bad To Worse

As much as I had come to expect the ludicrous in this war, I never expected to see one of _them _here.

Sometimes, I think that whatever deity runs the wretched plane of existence has a deep and abiding hatred for me. That is really the only explanation that I can imagine as to why one or more of those damned upstarts manages to stumble into my path any time I so much as stick my nose out of Cyclonia.

Hell, sometimes even when I'm at home minding my own business they poke their annoying heads into my business! So here I was, on a damned _abandoned _terra with no plausible strategic value at all, in a neutral place that was neutral for the sole fact that is was _useless, _and they showed up.

Sometimes, my day goes from bad to worse so fast that I would swear that I get whiplash.

It all went south about mid afternoon the next day, if you can even believe that. Seriously… how much worse can your experience become after surviving a wreck that by all rights, should have killed you, witnessing the destruction of the only mode of transportation off of a desolate rock, then be forced to revert to the most primitive methods of survival known to man?

Anyhow… survival, when faced with the very real possibility of death by exposure or freezing, becomes a top priority. I managed to find a decently sized cave that got me out of the wind that kicked up shortly after night fell. It was in a ravine, so it took a little bit of walking but at least it was near a water source. It was damp and cold but somehow, I managed to get a fire going. It warmed up the tiny space reasonably quickly, but getting to sleep proved to be a little more than a headache…

Really, I am not a huge fan of sleeping on the wet, clammy, rocky ground, but given no other alternative, I'll do it without complaint. Every now and then I woke up with a stone digging into one extremity or another, but all in all the night passed uneventfully.

The cave was situated in such a way that it kept the morning sun from shining in, so it was well into the morning when I had awoken. The fire had smoldered down into a small pile of glowing ashes, well on their way to dying out.

Now that I was a bit less out of sorts, I took an inventory of all my moving parts. I had a good amount of friction burns up and down my arms from where I had protected my head in the fall. There was a gash in my leg from a wayward rock that had apparently clipped me as I sailed headlong over it. I gulped as I looked at it. It was really, really high on my leg.

Almost at my…

No. Never mind. It was close, but it didn't hit me _there._

I quickly bandaged that up with the first aid kit, careful to keep my mind from 'what ifs'.

When the light finally did begin to creep into my little makeshift camp, I was actually able to function at some level of competence. Until you're actually involved in some sort of accident, you never really realize how much more still and painful the next day afterwards can really be…

So there I was, minding my own damned business when I heard a noise that made me fall back into my instincts.

The whirring sound of metal moving very quickly.

I peered out of my cave, craning my neck up to the sky. Outside was a small stand of scrubby, bitter trees that lent cover to my hidey hole, so I wasn't too worried about anyone actually seeing me.

The noise passed overhead and out of my view. I didn't necessarily put it out of my mind, but as it was not in my immediate vicinity I did not try to devote much of my concentration to it.

I had other things to worry about. Like exploring the terra enough to find what I would need to survive beyond the rations that I had in my pack.

So… I started walking.

OOO

A few hours later, I had followed the river into a substantially larger stand of trees that, had they been more than just thorny branches shooting up several feet over my head, I might have mistaken them for a forest. I'd learned early in my walk that letting myself get scratched by the wicked looking thorns was a bad idea. The scratches on my hands had taken little time in swelling up into large, coin sized blisters that wept a clear fluid. Luckily, beyond the small discomfort, it didn't seem as though there was any lingering poison or infection.

But just in case, I avoided getting cut again.

I missed my skimmer. Not simply because it was my only mode of transportation, but because it was _my _skimmer. My Switchblade. None other like her in the whole Cyclonian fleet. I was faster, more maneuverable… and she was always kept in such good repair by the army of mechanics back in Cyclonia. That ride had seen me through a lot of battles.

Even though I knew I'd get a replacement for that beauty, I didn't think it would feel the same. Losing that skimmer was something like losing my left arm. Sure, it could be replaced, but its not even going to come close to the original.

I was reminiscing about my late skimmer when I heard another unexpected noise.

This time, it was voices.

I ducked behind a slightly more bushy tree-vine-cactus-plant, and peered around it.

There was a small clearing there that was filled up with people. I counted… one, two… three… four. Four of them, all sitting at easy on their skimmers as they spoke to each other.

Even the sight of those four just nonchalantly sitting their skimmers made my blood rise.

Storm Hawks.

Was there no place in the entire Atmos that those kids didn't infest? Did they pop up everywhere in my life on purpose or was it some sort of sick joke from hell?

Really, what did I ever do to deserve this?

I gritted my teeth until I gave myself a headache. I knew that if I moved now, they'd probably all turn around and see me, and what then? I didn't think any of them had it in themselves to kill an flat footed opponent, but you never know. I personally think those kids are soft, playing at an adult's game, but children have been known to surprise before.

I stayed put, none too happy.

"I don't know if this is such a good ideas…" the dark skinned girl whined. What was her name? I should know this… Pippy? Pira?

Master Cyclonia was interested in her at one point. Said she was good with crystals. I never bothered to learn their names, but I did learn their strengths and weaknesses from the profile database that we started keeping on all of the Sky knights and their squadrons.. Master Cyclonis expected nothing less. I do remember… she was hoping that this crystal specialist would consent to teach her some things.

That's a pretty big deal, if Master Cyclonis wants to learn about crystals from _anyone._

This one was also versed in martial arts and staff fighting. She looked athletic. Probably quick, too.

She was probably one to watch.

"Yeah, I don't think this is the best idea ever, either." Groaned the puerile looking blonde kid. "I am definitely not looking forward to spending any time alone on a stupid rock farm."

Ah, yes. The one who was really the most ineffective. Take away his bow, or even get too close, and he screams like a ninny. I smirked to myself. Personally, I have never had any qualms in beating up on the weak.

Like I said. It's a grown man's game they were trying to play. If they didn't heed the warnings that the Atmosian council most definitely heaped on them, there's no reason I should go easy on them either.

"Aw, come on, Finn. It'll be fun! Just think, we've never had training like _this _before. I'm excited!" rumbled a bulky looking Wallop.

Ballistics. Heavy hitter. Had specialized knuckled busters.

Yeah, he'd probably pose a challenge, but in my experience, the larger ones are pretty slow. No big deal to me. I'm faster than most fighters I've ever seen, and better than any I've come up against.

I could take that kid easy. Probably almost as easily as the wuss.

"Yeah, Finn, Junko's right. It'll be fun. And look around! The place is deserted. Its not like there's going to be anything around that could eat you."

I hate that voice.

Really, _really _hate it.

That stupid… young… upstart. Damned punk. Should have quit back when I whipped him and his squadron back in Atmosia.

Hell, I should have killed him.

That just goes to show what you get for showing a little mercy.

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists tightly, willing myself not to move. It was rough. I see red when that kid's around, no pun intended.

The girl shifted her weight, drawing my attention again. "I dunno Aerrow… Maybe Stork was right. What if there's some weird plant here on this terra? I've never seen vegetation like this before…"

"See!" shouted the blonde again, causing several tiny birds to scatter. "Even Piper's on my side!"

Oh. Piper was her name. Whatever.

"We already agreed to do this," Aerrow said firmly. "Now, we just have to see who gets to go first."

"Oh, man… not me. Please not me…" grumbled that whiny kid again.

"Ok," came the Wallop's voice, "I figured we might have a problem deciding, so I brought some straws. Lets decide that way!"

The damn Wallop acted like a child.

Hell, they all did. Whatever.

The three humans jumped off of their skimmers and crowded around the Wallop.

After a moment, I heard Piper's voice over the rush of the water in the river that ran so close by, accompanied by a chorus on groans and muttering.

"Okay, the first person for the survival training is…"

OOO

Dun dun DUN!

Do you hate me now?

Poll results:

As much as I had come to expect the ludicrous in this war, I was genuinely surprised to see one of them here. – 42 percent

Some days, it doesn't pay to get out of bed… especially those days you find yourself tied up a tree by psychotic gnomes. – 23 percent

"Dammit." – 19 percent

A rock. A stupid rock. I tripped on a damned rock, and fell…and the ravine was a long way down. – 14 percent

I heard the whirr of machinery long before I could see it, but it gave me enough warning to jump into a hiding place – 0 percent

I know this was short, yet again, and I'm sorry. But hopefully the next installment will be longer! The next poll is up in my profile, so go vote!

Also, remember that I take into account the suggestions in my reviews section, so don't be shy, go tell me what you think and what you want to see!


	3. Aw, Man!

Aw, Man!

"Aw, _man_!" I grumbled, staring at the fluorescent pink straw that I held in my hand. I looked around at everyone else's smiling faces

"Don't worry," Junko said, "we'll have our radios on if you need anything."

"Only if you're about to die or something," Piper chimed in helpfully, "Cause, you know, you're supposed to be surviving on your own out here."

"It's only for a few days, so you should be fine, Finn." Aerrow put in.

I scowled at my so called squadron. "I don't remember ever signing up for this."

"Stop being a wuss, Finn." Piper scoffed. "its not like you're going to die out here. Even you should be able to live on your own for a little while."

"But what about food?" I protested, "And the game's supposed to be playing today! I'm gonna miss the _game! _Man, this was all Aerrow's idea. I think he should be the one to stay the first round."

"Well, I guess I could…"

"No, Aerrow. We have to follow the plan we set forth in the beginning. Finn pulled the short straw, so he gets to stay." Piper interrupted before Aerrow could change his mind.

I glared at Piper. I mean, I think she'd have been toasty if I'd had laser vision or something. All I got in response was a smug smile.

"Man, this is wrong on so many levels…"

Junko attached a tow line to my skimmer with an apologetic glance. "Sorry Finn…"

"Whatever. Just go away already. Jeez…"

The others moved off to their rides, Piper with satisfaction, Aerrow with an oblique grin, and Junko with chagrin. Dust kicked up around me when they revved their engines.

"Remember Finn, just call if you run into any trouble, okay?"

"Right. Sure thing, Aerrow." I replied dryly.

They rumbled off of the terra without even a second glance, towing my poor ride behind Junko's skimmer like a toy.

I picked up my pack and groaned. This was going to _suck._

OOO

I don't know how long I had been walking, but my feet had started to hurt. I had gone through my pack as I walked, so I knew what I had to keep me going for the time being. A day's worth of food (or just a couple hours, if you're a strong, growing boy like me), an extra change of clothes, a radio, and a knife.

A knife? What the hell was I supposed to do with that? Putting it back into the bag, I massaged my temples.

After a minute, I shook my head. I knew that Aerrow had asked Piper to pack our survival packs with minimal gear, but a knife? That made no sense.

Trust Piper to throw something weird and off the wall into things. She's always good for that.

I mean, it would have been so much better if she'd tossed in some crystals or something. As it was, I only had a few bolts left for my crossbow. Couldn't she have done something about that?

Man. This whole ordeal sucked and I'd only been at it for an hour.

I hit a stream not far from where they'd abandoned me. The water was clear and cold. The contrast between the areas around the water and that which was further out from the stream was huge. Near the water, the ground was covered in greenery, high grass and thick, pulpy looking vine trees. After about thirty or forty feet, the land turned barren and yellow. I noticed there were large lumps here and there dotting the ground, but for the life of me, I couldn't tell what they were.

At least we knew this place was pretty much deserted. I would not have liked the idea of having to dodge some psychotic natives for the enjoyment of my squad mates.

I knew they were probably just laughing it up. At least, Piper probably was. And Stork, too.

Anyhow, it wasn't too long into my walk that I decided that my feet hurt. And since there was water right there, I peeled off my shoes and stuck my toes in.

It wasn't like an immediate relief, but it felt pretty good.

"This _sucks._" I repeated for the thousandth time that day. "Why did they decide to start this now? Why me? I didn't even want to do this. I mean, its not like we're ever going to have to play survival against any one in the first place. Seriously, with technology today, you'd have to be pretty damned stupid to get stuck on a stupid terra like this, with no stupid communications and no stupid company to help you out. Who in the world's going to be that idiotic? I don't even think Snipe would get himself into this sort of mess. Not even Lugey! So why am I here?"

By the time I was done with my tirade, I was shouting. I kicked at the water in frustration, sending a wave of shiver inducing droplets cascading over the bushes around me.

It would have been a lot more satisfying if I had something to hit. Or, better yet, something to shoot. I grabbed my crossbow and fiddled with it for a few minutes.

Not many people know this about me, but even though I'm pretty lax in some areas, I'm a fanatic when it comes to my bow. I mean, that's my pride, right there. You know, sharp shooter and all. I'd be nothing without my bow, so I try to keep it up as well as possible. Next to my guitar, its probably my favorite possession.

So I managed to take up a little of my time making sure all of the moving parts of the crossbow still slid smoothly together. I wasn't able to distract myself too long with this, unfortunately. So… it didn't really take too long for the boredom to set in.

Yes.

Boredom.

They expected me to survive out here with no music, no guitar, and no video games?

No way.

I sighed resignedly and pulled my feet out of the cold water. My toes weren't even wrinkly yet, but they were pretty frozen after just a few minutes soak.

Things just get better and better. I scowled and stuffed my feet back into my boots.

Shouldering my pack again, I started trudging in a random direction, staying close to the water, just in case.

I'd been walking for a good minute when a crackling noise nearly made me jump out of my skin.

_Shhhhhck…shhhck Finn….y…there..? Shhhck_

"Holy crap!" I startled, dancing around like an insane clown while I groped around desperately for the terrifyingly loud radio that was probably in the bottom of my backpack.

A few more minutes of crackly static and Junko's voice breaking over the airwaves, I managed to dig the thing out of my satchel. I clicked it over to transmit. "Hey, I'm here. What's up?"

_Schhck Piper didn't want me to call, but…to …su…you're…ing…alright." Schhick_

"I'm fine, buddy. Just fine. Couldn't be better. You know, my teammates ditching me on an abandoned terra for a damned _week!"_

_Shhhhck "Aw, Finn, don't be like that. I didn't wanna do it…" Scchhk_

I sighed. "I know. I know. But I didn't wanna do this either. Did they say how long they wanted to leave me out here?"

_Schhk "Nah…well, yeah. But they said I couldn't tell you. Sorry…" Schk_

"Come on! We're best buds! You can tell me!"

_Schhk "Junko, give me that. You heard that he's doing alright, so we have to cut off all but necessary comms with him."_

"_Aw, come on, Piper. The guy's all alone over there!"_

"_That's the point, Junko. That's the whole idea. Finn, remember what we said. Contact us only if you are in dire need of help. We won't leave you long but we cant tell you when we'll pick you up. Its more realistic this way. Condor out." Shhhhck_

The last transmission ended with such an air of finality that it was almost a smack in the face. I stared at the radio for a long moment before I hauled back and spiked it into the ground with a curse. A puff of green grass poofed into the air where I had thrown the thing.

"Dammit Piper! I am so getting you back for this! You aren't going to trust shampoo bottles for a month when I'm done with you! I'll paint all your crystals chrome grey! I'm going to chuck your stupid records out the escape hatch when we cross over Cyclonia territory!" I took in a deep breath and shoved one fist high into the air, shaking it at the ship that I knew was hovering just within communication range. "I'll spread a rumor that you and Stork are dating! How do you like _that?! _Oh yeah, better yet, I'm going to tell everyone who will listen that you have a big fat crush on the _Dark Ace!"_

I paused, panting from my outburst. I felt a little better, but I was still stuck on the damned terra. I picked up the radio and began shoving it into my pocket, muttering curses all the while.

I wasn't going to feel good until I was back home, making her life a living hell.

But….whatever good feeling I might have had flew out the window just several moments later, only to be replaced with an icy chill that coiled somewhere behind my ears and jammed its fingers into my bowels.

I heard a shuffle and a snap of twigs, followed by a deep, amused chuckle. I knew that laugh…

I could have placed that sound anywhere.

I stiffened and turned slowly, my eyes squeezed shut as I prayed to anyone who would listen…hoping that I was only losing my mind because of my enforced boredom.

I cracked one eye, and very nearly wet myself.

"Oh, crap." I gulped reflexively.

There he stood, looking a little bedraggled and worn, with small tears on his clothing and a couple of scratches on his face. But there….black hair, red eyes. Tall, thin. Evil. Yeah, I was seriously hoping it was just a mirage. Maybe an unlucky bastard who was his physical double.

But it was him. Horribly, frighteningly, unmistakably him.

I was reaching for my radio before I could even get my mental legs under me enough to figure out what to say when I made contact. Even as I moved, the Dark Ace sprung forward, driving his shoulder into my gut and knocking my wind from me. The radio went flying from my hand and skidded across the slippery grass.

I landed hard on my back with the Dark Ace's weight bearing me down in the middle. It hurt. A lot.

As I lay there, I hardly noticed the man stand up and dust himself off. I was too busy trying to convince my abused diaphragm to get with the program and play nice with my lungs. I dimly heard another chuckle from the Dark Ace as he stepped past me.

"Thank you. I needed a radio."

He was out of my line of sight.

It was hard to breath. My stomach hurt.

So… I couldn't get up.

Somewhere in the side of my consciousness that managed to pay attention to important things, like the bloodthirsty man who had me at his mercy, I heard the Dark Ace swear with anger.

And somehow… I knew whatever it was that pissed him off was going to come back to me.

OOO

Ooooh yeah, almost hit my target of 2000 words this time! Woooo!

Okay, so the poll results for this chapter were:

Finn: 43 percent

Piper: 37 percent

Aerrow: 18 percent

Junko: 0 percent

Okay, so that was fun. Sorry it took so long to update. Luckily, I think I should be able to get another update in the next couple of days or so, especially if I get the votes. So… this time, we get to vote on what exactly pissed the Dark Ace off.

Please review if you liked it! Tell me what I did well and what I could do better. I need concrit!

Thanks for reading!


	4. An Excuse

An Excuse

"Bloody hell!"

The radio-or rather, the soggy, waterlogged remains of metal and crystal-went flying in a haphazard arc. I think I heard it thunk against some distant vine tree, but I'd already whirled around on my heel. The stupid blonde kid was still wallowing on the ground, flailing weakly on the ground like an electrified fish out of water. He twitched and his mouth gaped.

Hah. I guess he'd gotten the wind knocked out of him.

I stalked over to him. "Where's your other radio?" I snarled.

He just stared at me in bewilderment, the expression looking all too common on his features.

He really was pathetic. I knew he had to have another means for communication somewhere. There was no way even those kids would do something as stupid as to leave one of their own behind without any sort of backup emergency system, was there?

Ignoring his terror stricken face, I reached down and rifled through his pockets. He didn't resist. I don't thing he could have, in any case. He was still doing a pretty good impression of a fish.

I must have gotten him good. That thought made me smile a bit, inside.

There was nothing of use on him, or the sorry pack that he had with him, for that matter. The only thing of any use was the knife, and mine was far superior than the scrap that he had.

Running a hand through my hair, I stalked off a few yards, fuming.

Stupid kid.

Now that I had no means of contacting the fleet, it would probably be more expedient to kill the little bastard. If he found out about my mission, it'd be my hide with Master Cyclonis.

And if he somehow managed to get a hold of his friends, they'd come down on me, alone and land bound, like a ton of teenage bricks.

Then again, if I killed him, they might go after me anyway.

Don't get me wrong. On even ground, I have no doubt that I could best the lot of them. Unfortunately, I can count on one hand the times I'd heard of someone on a skimmer losing to someone on two legs on one hand. I didn't really relish trying this, especially after living who knows how many nights out in the wilderness.

That left one more option.

I could keep him alive. That way, I'd have a hostage if worst came to worst. And I would have a sacrifice if some strange creature tried to attack. And in a best case scenario, I'd have a prisoner to present to Master Cyclonis when I returned triumphant.

I struck him in the side with a savage kick and he crumbled over, huddling over his smarting side. Apparently, he'd managed to get some of his wind back, because he piped up with this gem of insight, "Dude!" …_gasp…"_You don't… _gasp…_ "Kick someone…_" gasp… _"when they're down…"

So I kicked him again.

It was a little therapeutic.

But as much fun as needless violence can be, I knew that if I broke him too much, he wouldn't survive to hand over to my superiors.

Reaching down, I grabbed his arm right at the join of the elbow, where it hurts most. I yanked him to his feet with a bit more effort than I would have expected. That kid was more solid than he looked, but it was obvious that he didn't know that. He simply leaned heavily to one side, his eyes still round as saucers, unable to do much more than move where my hand pushed him.

"Someone save me from dwelling in a sea of idiocy…" I muttered under my breath. Shoving him forward, I snapped, "Get moving, boy."

And he did.

OOO

I don't like kids.

The small ones are bad enough. You know, the wrinkly, smelly, squalling kind that smells like old cabbage? I hate those.

They're even worse when they've learned how to walk and talk. Seriously, from my limited experience, they refuse to shut up. And they still smell bad.

But it's the older ones that I hate the most. The ones who are almost adults. They tend to think like they are simply omnipotent and omniscient. They poke their noses into places where they are obvious outmatched and unwanted, and then they have the audacity to stay.

Teenagers.

There are certain teenagers that tend to get to me faster than others, and I was now in the constant presence of one of the five most annoying kids on the face of this god forsaken planet.

At first, he was too fear stricken to say much and that suited me just fine. But after a couple of hours of walking he seemed to realize that I wasn't on the verge of killing him.

Yet.

"What are you doing here?"

I ignored it.

"Where's your skimmer?"

I ignored that, too.

"What are you going to do to me?"

I was tempted to actually answer that one, but it would be a pain in the ass to have to run the kid down again.

I had the brat's hands bound up with duct tape from my first aid kit. All of the useful crap from his pack had made its way into mine, including his inferior knife and crossbow. I even kept his change of clothes on the off chance I'd need it to start a fire or something along those lines.

"You know, my friends are going to come find me. And they're going to get you this time."

"Stop with the bravado," I rolled my eyes, "You're really not that good at it."

"Afraid Aerrow's gonna kick your ass again?" he tried to sneer.

I snorted, but left that one alone.

I am _not _afraid of some fourteen year old kid. Just because he managed to get in a few good sucker punches every now and then did not mean I feared him.

Or even respected him.

He was a kid.

And I hate kids.

OOO

I was thoroughly annoyed by the time I decided to pitch a camp. I had found a small cave, relatively dry, that had one orifice for entrance or exit. It would be perfect.

Inside, it was large enough for several people to move about comfortably, and that was far more room than I actually required. Dumping the kid in the back of the cavern, I took the precaution of duct taping his ankles together. It was a rather humorous sight, to be truthful. He just sat there, trying to glare at me with anger, but all that showed through was fear.

I left for a few minutes to grab some detritus for a fire.

When I came back, he was still in the same relative spot, though it looked as though he might have been trying to escape, somehow. I smirked as I laid the fire out, starting it with a crystal. "I wouldn't bother trying if I were you. There's no way you can escape now."

I could hear him struggle with his bonds. I laughed. "Do you seriously think I'd let you live if you did manage to escape? Do you really think you can outdo me in this terrain?" I rolled my eyes and poked at the fire with a green branch. "I would kill you and leave your body in the middle of the clearing where they left you. It wouldn't be hard, you know. All you have to do is give me an excuse. While Master Cyclonis would be thrilled to have a Storm Hawk to play with, I know she wouldn't be too put out if I did the job instead."

A sudden grin lit my features. "The end result would be the same."

"Liar." He spat. I stood, and he curled in on himself as though expecting another blow.

"No," I murmured in a low voice, "I don't lie."

I just glanced over at him. The firelight flickered crazily, cause shadows to dart and dance about the cave. I must have looked sinister in the light, because his eyes widened and his mouth grew slack.

"Aerrow will-"

Throwing my head back in a laugh, I cut him off. "Aerrow will what? Revenge you? Rescue you? You really are stupid, you know that?"

I wandered over to my makeshift pallet on the floor, using my extra uniform as a pillow. I could see him staring at me from his place in the shadows. I'd purposely set the fire out further away from where he sat. Though the small cavern would soon warm, I knew that he would probably be chilled before the heat hit him.

When he did warm up, he'd probably fall right to sleep.

Funny, how the human metabolism worked. Cold to keep you awake. Fear to keep you alert. Anger gives the illusion of warmth, but that only lasts for moments before the reality of the situation sets in. And hopelessness in face of a superior enemy or a seemingly insurmountable obstacle only adds to the desolate feeling.

When your mind raced, it was nearly impossible to get any rest at all.

But then, introduce a small level of unexpected comfort, and the body will realize how tired it truly is. The eyelids grow heavy and close on their own accord. The breathing will slow, though the mind will rail against such actions.

I knew that it wouldn't take long for him to pass out after the stress he'd gone through. Coupled with the fact that he was securely duct taped, I knew that it would be safe for me to get a few hours of rest without the worry of his attempts to escape.

I closed my eyes, and as soon as I lay still, I heard the kid start trying to move. "Don't bother," I said. "I'm a very light sleeper. And remember, all I need is an excuse."

OOO

Okay. I finally updated this.

And it was short. Just over 1600 words. Eugh…

I am not too happy with how this turned out but I know that if I didn't force myself to write, I never would. So I finally sat down and this is the result. So….sorry if it sucked this time around.

Anyhow, here are the results of the poll:

The radio is broken, in the water, or otherwise destroyed. – 50 percent

The radio is short range only, unable to contact the Cyclonian fleet. – 25 percent

Dark Ace managed to hurt himself in his initial attack, sustaining a performance reducing injury. – 25 percent

Alright, the next poll is up, and now that I have broken my writer's block on this story, I'm actually going to try to get the next chapter written within the next couple of days, if not tomorrow if I get the votes.

Thanks for sticking with this. Please let me know what you think!


	5. Not A Morning Person

Not A Morning Person

I didn't even think I would fall asleep, but I guess I did.

That's the only way I can explain how I woke up to screeching. Like…high pitched, alarm siren howling. Seriously, it nearly made me wet my pants.

That fire the Dark Ace had so thoughtfully built was nothing but a bed of embers now, but it gave off just enough light for me to see a long, limber form hurtling through the cavern mouth. It was followed closely by two more, each moving faster than Radarr when he had the last sandcake. From what I could make out, those things were almost insect-like. They hunched over onto mantis-like limbs when they came to a halt and they lifted their heads up in the air, almost in unison.

It looked almost like they were listening for something.

I couldn't see the Dark Ace anywhere. The place he'd fallen asleep in last night was bare. His sword was missing but his backpack was still there. I looked around frantically. Where was he?

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I wanted him around or anything. It's just that I was still tied up and there were three disgusting bug things between me and the exit.

One of the things moved. It ambled close to me, its head swaying this way and that like it was sniffing the air. Heavy shadows had fallen and it was still dark outside. As it got closer to me, I could make out the triangular head armed with a mouth thingy…what did Piper call that? A probe? Probation? Aw, hell, she had weird words for everything. To me, it was just a gleaming black loop that curled up below some wicked looking pincers with spines. Those pincers jittered against each other as it moved.

You know, it wasn't as though I was really scared or anything, but nothing is creepier than something that just has pits for eyes. Seriously. There were fist sized depressions in the thing's face where logic would say eyes should be. It was really gross and more than a little creepy.

It was about two feet away from my face. I sucked in a deep breath and opened my mouth.

Just as I was about the yell-yes, yell. I was going to yell a manly yell in that thing's face so I could scare it away-I heard a low hum from the mouth of the cave. The thing's head swung around so fast that I could barely see it move. Both it, and its little bug buddies, streaked to the other side of the cave and began letting out that shrill noise again.

"Oh, god," I winced, "Make it stop!"

Red light blossomed and it nearly blinded me. I scuttle backwards, turning my face away. "What the hell is that?"

"Oh, do shut up," I heard the Dark Ace say, sounding somewhat breathless. "I suggest you sit down and shut your useless yap before-" he was interrupted. It sounded somewhat painful, because he grunted and I think I heard a thump.

I cracked my eyes back open. He was on his back near the fire pit. His sword, still glowing had skittered away from his hand and now lay not two feet away from me.

One of the bug things was out of commission. It was missing one of its heavy looking, hooked arms and its plated head was split open right between its eyeless sockets. Another was crouched over its fallen comrade with what looked like a wounded leg, and the third was leaning over the Dark Ace.

My eyes flew from the sword, to him, to the bug. He stretched a hand out to the weapon but it was several feet from his reach.

It was close to me though. My hands were still bound behind my back. I shuffled my weight, trying to judge if I'd be able to get my hands, which were duct taped behind me, near enough to the blade to get my bonds off.

If I could do that and somehow make it out of this place around those two remaining creatures, then there was no doubt that they'd probably stick around and finish the Dark Ace off for me. I'd be free after that, and then I could call the guys…

Aw, crap.

Even if I did that, I didn't fool myself into believing I could survive on my own against those things without crystals, supplies, and a weapon.

The Dark Ace's eyes snapped angrily and I knew he could tell what I was thinking. His hand was still splayed towards the sword, his fingers reaching impotently. He ground his teeth together but I could tell he wasn't about to plead with me.

All of these thought processes went on in the span of only a few seconds but the world seemed to slow down somehow, letting me in on the most minute details around me. The bug thing was crouching down over the man with its strange external armor creaking. I could see a row of small antenna-like protrusions that ran along the ridge at the top of its triangular head. I could hear the off clicking of its mandible pincers as it leaned in, seeming to almost taste the air before it. Its mantis arms were wickedly sharp and covered with thorny spikes. The Dark Ace had already apparently felt the touch of those things. There was blood on his face and torso and it shone black in the wan ember lit cave. Its partner bugs were fairly far away, hardly an immediate threat.

The seconds ticked by and I could almost see the dilated pupils in the Dark Ace's red eyes. The mantis swung one of its arms up in a wicked arc over its head, somehow faster than thought and in slow motion all at the same time.

I had to do something. I had to…

But…

It dawned on me that I could very well die here, no matter what I did.

I closed my eyes, and…

OOO

_On The Condor_

"No. No! Junko, we can't go running back to the stupid terra because you have a tummy ache." Piper said, tossing one hand up in the air in a frustrated way. "Finn will be just fine. Our scans didn't show anything on the thermal radar and I'm pretty sure we'd have seen settlements down there if it was inhabited at all! What, do you think the Cyclonians are following us and messing with our training on an empty terra?" She rolled her eyes.

Stork cringed at the loud discussion. Aerrow raised an eyebrow and bit his lip.

"Come on, Piper," Junko began, "I think a day's enough, don't you? It's not like we're ever gonna do any sort of recon like that, right?"

Aerrow opened his mouth to speak, but Piper darted in before he could get a word out. "You mean like the recon Aerrow did at Zartacla a few months ago?"

"But that was Aerrow. Finn doesn't do those kinds of missions."

"That's exactly why he needs this training. We're all going to take our turns at it, Junko. Finn just happened to be the first one picked."

"Uh…" Stork quavered, one finger spiked into the air as he peered over his shoulder. "Yeah. No…I don't see myself ever doing that. Ever." His voice dropped down into a complete deadpan at the end of his statement. He spun back to the controls with an air of finality.

Aerrow bit his lip at Piper's annoyed expression, then drew in a breath. Just as he was about to speak, Junko stood, leaning on the table. "I'm telling you guys, there's something wrong about this whole thing. Something doesn't feel right in my gut and if I know anything, it's to follow what your gut tells you!"

"Junko, all your guts are telling you is that you've skipped breakfast, " she retorted hotly. "It's fine. I swear to you, it's all okay."

Junko frowned. It was a scary sight, that frown. It was the sort of angry expression that Aerrow had figured Junko incapable of making. "Hey guys," Aerrow put in before anyone else could speak, "Let's just calm down a sec, alright? Junko, I don't see what can be going wrong with Finn,"he paused. Piper looked smug, "But it doesn't mean we can't go check up on him, right?"

"Are you out of your mind, Aerrow?" She huffed, "The whole point of this exercise is to try our limits and its only been a day. I guarantee you that the only hardships Finn's facing is not being able to listen to his stupid game on the radio!"

"Don't forget sleeping in. I bet he's missing that one." Stork put in from the edges of the conversation.

"You aren't helping, Stork," Aerrow gritted. "Junko, let's make a deal, okay? If your bad feeling doesn't go away in a day or two, we'll see about sending someone out there. Sound good?"

Junko still glared at Piper, who looked equally angry. "Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice, does it?" He muttered.

Piper smacked her left hand on the table. "Aerrow, the whole thing was planned out from beginning to end. You guys are always messing up the plan! This one isn't even hard to stick to."

Aerrow rubbed his temples. "Yes, Piper. And it is a good plan. And I'm sure you're right and we have nothing to worry about. But we can't just dismiss Junko's opinion on the matter anymore than we can dismiss yours or mine."

Silence reigned for a few tense moments. The Wallop had his arms crossed over his chest. Piper stood across from him, her stance a mirror image. "Aerrow," Junko said suddenly, "I want to call him on the radio."

Piper opened her mouth to object, but pressed it into a thin line when Aerrow held up his hand for silence. He scratched his head. "I understand, Junko, I really do. But let's give it a few hours at least, alright? It _has _only been one night, after all."

Junko shook his head in defeat. "Fine. But you promise that we can check on him soon, right?"

"On my honor as a sky knight."

Junko stepped away from the table with one last look over at Piper. "Yeah, okay. If you need me, I'll be in the hangar bay. I need some time to think."

After he left, Aerrow turned to Piper. "A little harsh, don't you think?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Imagine if it was me or Stork instead of Finn down there, Piper. Would you be so quick to disregard Junko's instincts then?"

"Hey! That's uncalled for, Aerrow. It's not like I want anything bad to happen to him! He just needs to learn some responsibility. I'm so _tired _of how he manages to weasel out of anything he's ever had to do." Her eyes widened. She looked shocked at the implication.

"I know, Piper. I know. Forget I said anything."

"But-" She protested.

"Don't worry, Piper. Just forget it." Aerrow shook his head. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

As he left, she stared after him. Somehow, she couldn't think of anything to say.

"For what it's worth," came Stork's dry voice from behind her, "I think you're right."

OOO

Whew….talk about…long time, eh?

Sorry for the massive hiatus on this fic, and sorry for the tiny size of this chapter. Barely 1900 words. And this is coming from me, who averages 2500 to 3500 on the longer chapter fics! I'm so sorry…

Good news is that I have made progress on my novel now, even though its only the prologue so far. And much thanks go out to my friends here for proofreading for me! Y'all are awesome.

Anyhow, here's them poll results:

They wake to an attack by psychotic natives. (POV Finn) – 23 percent

Cut back to the Condor. The Storm Hawks are in heated debate on whether to leave Finn out there so long. (Third person POV) – 20 percent

They wake to an attack by psychotic natives. (POV Dark Ace) – 17 percent

Finn has escaped somehow. (POV Finn) – 14 percent

Cut back to Cyclonia. Dark Ace's absence is noticed. (Third Person POV) – 14 percent

Finn has escaped somehow. (POV Dark Ace) – 8 percent

There ya have it. And now, on to the next poll. This one shall be…

Well, hell. I'm feeling somewhat lazy this time around. It will be an event that starts out the next chapter. This poll is one vote per person, unlike the previous poll. Oh, and each choice is paired with a certain character, but I am not telling you who is paired with what.

As always, let me know what you want to happen in reviews as well. I always take that into account in stories like this.

Review!


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